Learning a language requires complex skills that mobilize brain networks specifically dedicated to linguistic processing. Syntax is one of the most important features of the language. It s the ability to structure words in a sentence correctly and is linked to motor control in the brain.
A 2019 study showed a correlation between being skilled at using mechanical tools and having good syntactic ability. This inspired researchers to investigate whether mechanical tools engage parts of the brain similar to those mobilized when it is constructing sentences.
Using Tools and Language Skills Engage the Same Brain Region
In the study, titled "Tool Use and Language Share Syntactic Processes and Neural Patterns in the Basal Ganglia," published in the journal Science, researchers invited a total of 244 participants to perform tests consisting of motor training and syntax exercises in French.
Researchers wrote in The Conversation that their findings reveal these two skills engage the same brain region and found that training to use mechanical tools improves the syntactic ability and vice versa.
During the motor training, participants were asked to insert small pegs into different holes using mechanical pliers. Meanwhile, they were shown simple and complex sentences during syntax exercises and judged whether they were true or false.
They used brain imaging techniques, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to identify brain networks activated during motor training and syntax exercises. They observed that they activated common areas of the brain in the same region called the basal ganglia, which are responsible for motor control and learning, behavior, and emotion in both tasks.
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Training One Skill Improves the Other
After establishing that these two skills use the same neurological resources in the same brain region, scientists set to investigate whether training one skill could also improve the other.
According to Science Daily, the second part of the study involves syntax exercises before and after 30 minutes of motor training with the pliers. Researchers found that motor training with the tool leads to improved performance in syntactic comprehension exercises.
Furthermore, their findings showed that the reverse is also true, wherein training of language skills on understanding simple and complex sentences improved performance with mechanical tools.
Researchers noted that these experiments show that participates did better with the sentences after motor training despite being considered as a more complex task. However, they did not see any improvement to the control group that performed a similar linguistics task and did not do any motor training at all.
They are thinking of applying their findings in the clinical setting to devise protocols that could be put in place to support rehabilitation and recovery of language skills and preserve their motor skills, particularly on children with developmental language disorders. These innovative applications can also give insights into the evolution of language throughout history.
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